Getting Brain MRI on Wednesday

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Bill B

Bill B

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
938
Location
Alamo, CA
SOMEWHERE in this forum (I can't find it now) there is a thread about brain aneurysms in BAV patients, where a study showed a rate of about 10%, 10 times that of the a control group. Here is a video presentation of that study that was linked in the thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWO3nseAhUg

The authors recommended screening of BAV patients for brain aneurysms. There was some discussion in that thread that this could be a factor to consider regarding anticoagulation. So, I mentioned it a few days ago to a staff member at Stanford involved in setting up my AVR surgery next month, as well that I have a history of migraines (actually quite minor) and a few other anomalies. He took it seriously. MRI scheduled. I was actually a bit surprised. I don't know how much data there is on this other than that one study, and I don't see any other discussion of MRIs being routine in BAV patients. I hope I'm in the 90% w/o brain aneurysms, but this is all getting a bit more complicated than I thought.

Also, I donate my first unit of blood for surgery on Thursday. Keeping busy!

Bill
 
My mother had some sort of brain scn, many years ago before MRI, with dyes etc., to ook for aneurysms, and it all came back negative. Dad was fond of saying at the time that Mum had had a brain scan, and they found nothing!

I wasn't aware until now of that study etc., but am most interested. I have three close family members, all on my mother's femae side, that have had brain aneurysms, and I had a bicuspid valve, replaced with mechanical, and am therefore on anticoagulation. I brought up the brain aneurysm thing with my surgeon, and he said that my mother has, so far, made it to to 75 years old with nothing wrong, so the gene probbly by-passed her.

Anyway, the way I looked at it : almost certain ,and imminent, death if I did nothing re valve, almost certain re-do in several years if I went tissue, and hopefully nothing worse than normal if I went mechanical.
 
My husband had an MRI (brain) after his BAV repair/aneurysm repair. His ascending aortic aneurysm was a "surprise" and the doctors wanted to make sure there were no other "surprises" in the brain. None were found, and it is very comforting to know for sure. I applaud your doctors for proceeding with the MRI!
 
Bill B good luck with your brain MRI... I will keep my fingers crossed for you. I have had two now as routine five year check up and both times no sign of anything sinister... Apart from obvious jokes !! I also have coarctation of aorta so cardiologists have taken precaution of checking as I understand that patients with BAV and coarc can be at increased statistical risk... I wish you well and hope yours too will give you the all clear.
 
Test done. Only 30 minutes in the tube with all kinds of buzzing noises. There were 8 or 10 individual "shoots" in that 30 minutes, each from 10 seconds to as long as 3 minutes. The techs were good, telling me as we went along when each session was going to start and how long it would be. Noise was not bad (with ear plugs and pads) and I was not claustrophobic. They did not tape my head down, so I could have moved it, although they said I should be as still as possible. Only had the urge to swallow a few times, which I did. They said that was OK. Felt nothing at all except for some small vibrations in my lower back muscles during just a couple of the sessions.

Results in a couple of days. Blood donation tomorrow. Taking oral iron.
 
Back in the days I was still diagnosed as Marfan (now I am "Marfan like") I volunteered for as many free thoracic MRIs as I could at Johns Hopkins Genetics dept. and at NIH. I am not bothered by it too much. I am glad you made it through your MRI relatively comfortably!

Recently, as I noted on a separate thread here, my dear Marfan friend Carol really injured herself badly in a huge fall (after a series of small mysterious falls over the years). She has been in various hospitals since then and is frustrated because she considers herself "healed" from the big fall and capable of going home and resuming her normal life of driving a car and living alone. Her brothers insisted she get some more brain scan work done and, lo and behold, her brain MRI revealed many little broken blood-vessel strokes had occured over many years. (Her big fall caused a huge hemotoma which has caused some permanent brain damage, but the little strokes have taken a toll also.)

Carol's case made me aware that I too should probably have a brain MRI. None of us with connective tissue problems should feel we are home free, so to speak, after our aortas (and heart valves) have been repaired. :eek:

Best of luck in your connective tissue diagnosis and treatment! :)
 
I wanted the brain-scan before my AVR to try rule out or foresee any surprises that may arise during my surgery as I had a wierd feeling that something would go wrong...I was given the allclear and that was reassuring. Its something I had read about on the BAV website and also is something I highly recommend to all of us BAV'ers...I would also say that it is something we should re-do every 5 or so years just to keep peace of mind...ha ha no pun intended...

Good luck with everything....
 
Bill, congrats on the normal results! Thank you for your very informative posts. They have given me lots of questions to ask and that is good. Have you made a decision on the valve yet?

Nadine
 
Hey Bill,

Happy to hear results were normal. I had not heard about this but will be checking it out. As far as I know, I do not have any family members with brain aneurysms.

I will be thinking about you and praying for your successful surgery next month.

Lori
 
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